Image processing apparatus, program, and image processing method

Abstract

To provide an image processing apparatus, a program, an image processing method, and the like for supporting efficient image quality adjustment.SOLUTION: An image processing apparatus includes: a data acquisition unit which acquires association data obtained by associating features of image data, image quality adjustment information, and user information; an image acquisition unit which acquires input image data; a processing unit which performs processing to determine features from the input image data, and obtain image quality adjustment information corresponding to the input image data and the user information based on the features and the association data; and a display processing unit which causes a display unit to display first image quality adjustment information associated with a first user input when acquiring the input image data, and second image quality adjustment information associated with a second user which is different from the first user, in an identifiable manner.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image processing device, a program, an image processing method, and the like. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, methods for performing correction processing on image data have been known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for storing correction parameters used by a user in the past and using those correction parameters when correcting a new image. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses a method for presenting recommended correction parameters based on image analysis. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-187215 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-016469 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the conventional techniques such as Patent Documents 1 and 2, information about the user who uses the image processing device and information about other users are not presented in a manner that allows them to distinguish between each other.

[0005] According to some aspects of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an image processing device, a program, an image processing method, and the like that support efficient image quality adjustment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure relates to an image processing device that includes a data acquisition unit that acquires image quality adjustment information including features of image data, parameters used in image quality adjustment processing, and correspondence data that associates user information; an image acquisition unit that acquires input image data; a processing unit that calculates the features from the input image data and performs processing to acquire the image quality adjustment information and the user information corresponding to the input image data based on the calculated features and the correspondence data; and a display processing unit that displays, on a display unit, in an identifiable manner, first image quality adjustment information, which is the image quality adjustment information associated with the user information representing a first user input when acquiring the input image data, and second image quality adjustment information, which is the image quality adjustment information associated with the user information representing a second user different from the first user.

[0007] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a program that causes a computer to function as a data acquisition unit that acquires correspondence data that associates image data features, image quality adjustment information including parameters used in image quality adjustment processing, and user information; an image acquisition unit that acquires input image data; a processing unit that calculates the features from the input image data and performs processing to acquire the image quality adjustment information and user information corresponding to the input image data based on the calculated features and the correspondence data; and a display processing unit that displays, on a display unit, in an identifiable manner, first image quality adjustment information, which is the image quality adjustment information that is associated with the user information representing a first user input when acquiring the input image data, and second image quality adjustment information, which is the image quality adjustment information that is associated with the user information representing a second user different from the first user.

[0008] Yet another aspect of the present disclosure relates to an image processing method that acquires correspondence data that associates image data features, image quality adjustment information including parameters used in image quality adjustment processing, and user information, acquires input image data, determines the features from the input image data, performs processing to acquire the image quality adjustment information and the user information corresponding to the input image data based on the determined features and the correspondence data, and displays on a display unit in a distinguishable manner first image quality adjustment information, which is the image quality adjustment information associated with the user information representing a first user input when the input image data was acquired, and second image quality adjustment information, which is the image quality adjustment information associated with the user information representing a second user different from the first user. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the external configuration of an image processing device. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the configuration of an image processing device. [Figure 3] 10 is a flowchart illustrating processing by the image processing device. [Figure 4] 10 is an example of a feature amount obtained from input image data. [Figure 5] 10 is an example of association data. [Figure 6] 10 is an example of association data for multiple users. [Figure 7] 10 is an example of an image quality adjustment screen. [Figure 8] 10 is an example of a confirmation screen. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an update process of association data. [Figure 10] 10 is another example of the image quality adjustment screen. [Figure 11] 10 is another example of the image quality adjustment screen. [Figure 12A] 10 is a specific example of a first preview image and a second preview image. [Figure 12B] 10 is a specific example of a first preview image and a second preview image. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, identical or equivalent elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate explanations will be omitted. Note that the present embodiment described below does not unduly limit the content described in the claims. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in the present embodiment are necessarily essential components of the present disclosure.

[0011] 1. System configuration example 1 is a diagram showing an example of the external configuration of an image processing device 100 according to this embodiment. The image processing device 100 is a device that processes image data. For example, the image processing device 100 may be a multifunction peripheral (MFP) that has functions such as a copy function, a print function, a scanner function, a fax function, and a communication function.

[0012] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the image processing device 100. The image processing device 100 includes an image acquisition unit 110, a data acquisition unit 120, a processing unit 130, a display processing unit 140, and a display unit 150. However, the configuration of the image processing device 100 is not limited to that shown in Fig. 2, and modifications such as omitting some components or adding other components are possible.

[0013] The image acquisition unit 110 acquires image data to be processed by the processing unit 130. Hereinafter, the image data to be processed by the processing unit 130 will be referred to as input image data. When the image processing device 100 is a scanner or MFP with a scanning function, the image acquisition unit 110 may be an image reading unit that reads an original. The image reading unit includes a light emitting unit that irradiates light onto the original and a light receiving unit that detects reflected light from the original or transmitted light that has passed through the original and converts the light into an electrical signal. The image reading unit outputs input image data that is the result of reading the original based on the electrical signal output by the light receiving unit. The image reading unit may read an original using an original feeding device such as an SPF (Single Pass Feeder), or may read an original set on an original table by moving a carriage on which the image reading unit is mounted.

[0014] Furthermore, the input image data of this embodiment may be data transmitted from a device different from the image processing device 100. For example, if the image processing device 100 according to this embodiment is the MFP shown in FIG. 1, the MFP may be connected to an information processing device or a server system via a network. The network here may be a network for wireless communication or a network for wired communication, and the specific communication method is not limited. The information processing device is, for example, a PC (Personal Computer) or tablet terminal of a user who uses the MFP. The server system may be a print server or a cloud server used by an MFP manufacturer or the like to provide firmware and the like.

[0015] The image acquisition unit 110 of this embodiment may perform processing to acquire image data from an information processing device or a server system. In this case, the image acquisition unit 110 includes an interface for communication via a network, a control circuit for controlling the interface, etc. When performing wireless communication, the image acquisition unit 110 may include, for example, an antenna, an RF (radio frequency) circuit, and a baseband circuit. Alternatively, when performing wired communication, the image acquisition unit 110 may include a communication interface such as an Ethernet connector, a control circuit for the communication interface, etc.

[0016] The data acquisition unit 120 acquires association data used for image processing of input image data from the storage unit 200. The association data here is data that associates feature amounts of image data, image quality adjustment information including parameters used for image quality adjustment processing, and user information. Details of the association data will be described later with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. The storage unit 200 can be realized by various types of memory, and the memory may be a semiconductor memory such as an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), or a flash memory, or may be a register, a magnetic storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD), or an optical storage device such as an optical disk drive.

[0017] 2 may be, for example, a storage unit of the server system described above. In this case, the data acquisition unit 120 may include an interface and a control circuit for communicating with the server system. Alternatively, the storage unit 200 may be included in the image processing device 100. In this case, the data acquisition unit 120 may read out the association data from the storage unit 200 in the image processing device 100 and output the data to the processing unit 130.

[0018] When both the input image data and the association data are acquired from an external device such as a server system, the image acquisition unit 110 and the data acquisition unit 120 may be realized as the same communication unit. Alternatively, as described above, the image acquisition unit 110 may be an image reading unit, and the image acquisition unit 110 and the data acquisition unit 120 may be realized as different configurations.

[0019] The processing unit 130 performs image processing on input image data. The processing unit 130 may also execute various processes, including operational control of each component of the image processing device 100. The processing unit 130 of this embodiment is configured by the following hardware. The hardware may include at least one of a circuit for processing digital signals and a circuit for processing analog signals. For example, the hardware may be configured by one or more circuit devices or one or more circuit elements mounted on a circuit board. The one or more circuit devices may be, for example, an IC (Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), etc. The one or more circuit elements may be, for example, a resistor, a capacitor, etc.

[0020] The processing unit 130 may also be implemented by the following processor. The image processing device 100 of this embodiment includes a memory that stores information and a processor that operates based on the information stored in the memory. The information may be, for example, a program and various data. The memory may be the storage unit 200 or another memory. The processor includes hardware. Various processors, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), may be used as the processor. The memory may be a semiconductor memory such as an SRAM, a DRAM, or a flash memory, or may be a register, a magnetic storage device, or an optical storage device. For example, the memory stores computer-readable instructions, and the processor executes the instructions to realize the functions of the processing unit 130 as processing. The instructions may be instructions from an instruction set that constitutes a program, or instructions that instruct the hardware circuitry of the processor to operate.

[0021] The display processing unit 140 controls the display (display unit 150) to display an image.

[0022] The display unit 150 is an interface that displays various information under the control of the display processing unit 140. The display unit 150 may be a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, or any other type of display. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the image processing device 100 may also include an operation unit that accepts user operations. For example, the display unit 150 and the operation unit may be a touch panel that is integrally configured.

[0023] The image processing device 100 may also include components (not shown) that implement various functions such as a printing function and a facsimile function.

[0024] As described above, the image processing device 100 of this embodiment includes a data acquisition unit 120 that acquires association data, an image acquisition unit 110 that acquires input image data, a processing unit 130, and a display processing unit 140. As described above, the association data is data that associates the features of the image data, image quality adjustment information including parameters used in image quality adjustment processing, and user information.

[0025] The processing unit 130 of this embodiment then calculates the feature quantities of the input image data and performs a process of acquiring image quality adjustment information and user information corresponding to the input image data based on the calculated feature quantities and the association data. The display processing unit 140 displays the image quality adjustment information on the display. In this manner, when image quality adjustment parameters are managed on a per-user basis, parameters appropriate for the feature quantities of the input image data can be associated with the user and presented when adjusting the image quality of the input image data. Note that the data acquisition unit 120 may acquire all of the association data, and the processing unit 130 may search the association data for data that meets the conditions. Alternatively, the processing unit 130 may transmit a query including search conditions to a server system including the storage unit 200, and the search process may be performed by the server system. In this case, the data acquisition unit 120 may acquire a portion of the association data that meets the search conditions. In other words, the "process of acquiring image quality adjustment information and user information corresponding to the input image data" performed by the processing unit 130 may be a search process itself targeting the association data, or it may be a process of requesting the search process from another device.

[0026] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the display processing unit 140 displays, on the display unit in an identifiable manner, first image quality adjustment information, which is image quality adjustment information associated with user information representing a first user input when acquiring input image data, and second image quality adjustment information, which is image quality adjustment information associated with user information representing a second user different from the first user. The first user here refers to a user using the image processing device 100, such as a user attempting to copy an original using the image processing device 100. The second user refers to any user other than the first user, and may be a composite user corresponding to multiple users. The display unit here may be the display unit 150 of the image processing device 100, or a display unit of another device connected to the image processing device 100.

[0027] According to the method of this embodiment, it is possible to present not only image quality adjustment information suitable for the first user who is using the image processing device 100, but also image quality adjustment information of other users. Therefore, while respecting the preferences of the first user, it is also possible to suggest the use of parameters that differ from those preferences. As a result, it is possible to present a wide range of image quality adjustment information, making it possible to support efficient image quality adjustment of input image data.

[0028] Furthermore, a part or all of the processing performed by the image processing device 100 of this embodiment may be realized by a program. Specifically, the processing performed by the image processing device 100 is processing performed by the image acquisition unit 110, the data acquisition unit 120, the processing unit 130, and the display processing unit 140.

[0029] The program according to this embodiment can be stored in, for example, a non-transitory information storage medium (information storage device), which is a medium readable by a computer. The information storage medium can be realized, for example, by an optical disc, a memory card, a HDD, or a semiconductor memory. The semiconductor memory is, for example, a ROM. Each unit of the image processing device 100 (the image acquisition unit 110, the data acquisition unit 120, the processing unit 130, and the display processing unit 140) performs various processes of this embodiment based on the program stored in the information storage medium. In other words, the information storage medium stores a program for causing a computer to function as each unit of the image processing device 100. The computer is a device equipped with an input device, a processing unit, a storage unit, and an output unit. Specifically, the program according to this embodiment is a program for causing a computer to execute each step described below using FIG. 3, etc.

[0030] The technique of this embodiment can also be applied to an image processing method including the following steps: The image processing method includes the steps of acquiring association data that associates feature amounts of image data, image quality adjustment information including parameters used in image quality adjustment processing, and user information, acquiring input image data, determining feature amounts from the input image data and performing processing to acquire image quality adjustment information and user information corresponding to the input image data based on the determined feature amounts and association data, and displaying, on a display unit, in an identifiable manner, first image quality adjustment information, which is image quality adjustment information associated with user information representing a first user that was input when the input image data was acquired, and second image quality adjustment information, which is image quality adjustment information associated with user information representing a second user different from the first user.

[0031] 2. Processing flow The processing of the image processing device 100 will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the processing executed by the image processing device 100. When this processing starts, in step S101, the processing unit 130 of the image processing device 100 performs user authentication processing. The user authentication processing is processing for identifying and authenticating a user who uses the image processing device 100. For example, the display processing unit 140 may cause the display unit 150 to display a screen prompting the user to enter a username and password. The processing unit 130 may determine whether the username and password match stored data. Alternatively, the image processing device 100 may be equipped with a reading device such as an IC card, and the user authentication processing may be performed based on the results of reading an IC card held over the reading device by the user. Through the user authentication processing, the processing unit 130 identifies the user (first user) who is using the image processing device 100.

[0032] In step S102, the image acquisition unit 110 acquires input image data. For example, the image acquisition unit 110 may acquire the input image data by scanning a document.

[0033] In step S103, the processing unit 130 extracts feature quantities from the input image data. The feature quantities here may include at least one of the number of black edge pixels, the number of color edge pixels, the number of halftone dot pixels, the number of solid pixels, the number of background pixels, and a histogram of each RGB plane.

[0034] The number of black edge pixels is information that indicates the number of pixels that correspond to black (or more broadly, achromatic colors) among the pixels that correspond to the edges of the input image data. The number of color edge pixels is information that indicates the number of pixels that correspond to colors other than achromatic colors among the pixels that correspond to the edges of the input image data. Note that the number of color edge pixels may be counted by dividing the number of pixels by specific color.

[0035] The number of halftone dot pixels is the number of pixels belonging to a halftone dot area. A halftone dot area represents an area where colors and shades are expressed by a collection of small dots. The number of solid pixels is the number of pixels belonging to a solid area. A solid area is not a collection of fine dots like a halftone dot area, but represents an area where colors are arranged without gaps. The number of background pixels is the number of pixels belonging to the background area. A background area represents an area of ​​a color corresponding to the background color of the manuscript. The background color is white for general manuscript paper, but if paper such as colored paper or straw paper is used, it may be a color corresponding to the paper.

[0036] The histograms of each RGB plane are a histogram of R pixel values, a histogram of G pixel values, and a histogram of B pixel values. The histogram of R pixel values ​​represents the result of counting the number of pixels belonging to each sub-range when the pixel value range that R pixel values ​​can take is divided into multiple sub-ranges. For example, if the R pixel value is in the range of 0 to 255, the sub-ranges may be 0 to 10, 11 to 20, 241 to 250, or 241 to 255. The same applies to the histogram of G pixel values ​​and the histogram of B pixel values.

[0037] Various methods for calculating these feature amounts are known, and since a wide range of such methods can be applied in this embodiment, detailed explanation of the method for calculating the feature amounts will be omitted.

[0038] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the feature quantities of input image data acquired by the processing of step S103. Here, an example will be described in which the user authentication processing of step S101 determines that the user using the image processing device 100 is user A. In the example of FIG. 4, the processing unit 130 counts the number of black edge pixels in the input image data and determines that the count value is in the range of 251 to 300. Thus, the value included in the feature quantity does not need to be a single numerical value, but may be information representing a numerical range. The same applies to the number of color edge pixels, the number of halftone dot pixels, the number of solid pixels, the number of background pixels, and the RGB histograms. While FIG. 4 illustrates an example in which all of the above-mentioned feature quantities are used, various modifications are possible, such as omitting some of them or adding other feature quantities.

[0039] After the feature amount of the input image data is calculated, in step S104, the processing unit 130 determines whether data similar to the feature amount exists in the association data.

[0040] Fig. 5 is an example of association data stored in storage unit 200. As shown in Fig. 5, the association data may be data in which user information, feature amounts of image data, image quality adjustment items (image quality adjustment information), and cumulative frequencies are associated with each other.

[0041] User information is information that identifies a user, and for example, the association data shown in Fig. 5 includes information about three users: User A, User B, and User C. The feature amounts of the image data are similar to the example described above with reference to Fig. 4, and are, for example, a set of the number of black edge pixels, the number of color edge pixels, the number of halftone dot pixels, the number of solid pixels, the number of background pixels, and the values ​​(or numerical ranges) of the histograms of each RGB plane.

[0042] The cumulative frequency is information that indicates the number of times that image quality adjustment information has been applied to image data corresponding to a feature. In the example of Figure 5, the cumulative frequency of the data in the first row is 3, which means that User A has previously applied image quality adjustment processing three times to image data having the feature corresponding to the first row (number of black edge pixels: 251 to 300, number of color edge pixels: 151 to 200, ...).

[0043] As shown in FIG. 5, the image quality adjustment information may include setting items and setting values ​​associated with the setting items. For example, the setting items include density setting, saturation setting, sharpness setting, and document type setting. The density setting value is, for example, numerical data that changes in increments of 1 within a range of -5 to +5, with smaller values ​​representing lighter colors and larger values ​​representing darker colors. Similarly, the saturation setting value is, for example, numerical data that changes in increments of 1 within a range of -5 to +5, with smaller values ​​representing lower saturation and larger values ​​representing higher saturation. The sharpness setting value is, for example, numerical data that changes in increments of 1 within a range of -5 to +5, with smaller values ​​representing greater blurring and larger values ​​representing greater clarity. The document type setting values ​​include, for example, three options: "text mode," "photo mode," and "text / photo mode." "Text mode" is a mode suitable for printing documents, "photo mode" is a mode suitable for printing photos, and "text / photo mode" is an intermediate mode.

[0044] In the example of Figure 5, user A has a history of performing image quality adjustment processing according to this embodiment on three sets of image data with different feature tendencies. In this case, image data having the feature values ​​corresponding to the first line (number of black edge pixels 251 to 300, number of color edge pixels 151 to 200, ...) is associated with image quality adjustment information with a density setting of +1, a saturation setting of -1, a sharpness setting of +2, and a document type of "text mode." Similarly, feature values ​​and image quality adjustment information are associated with the data on lines 2 and 3. Similarly, lines 4 to 9 are associated with image quality adjustment information for each of three sets of image data for users B and C with different feature tendencies.

[0045] In step S104, the processing unit 130 performs a process of comparing the feature amounts of the input image data shown in FIG. 4 with each of the multiple feature amounts included in the association data shown in FIG. 5. For example, the processing unit 130 may calculate the similarity between the feature amounts of the input image data and the feature amounts for one line included in the association data. The similarity here is information that increases as the values ​​associated with each piece of information, such as the number of black edge pixels, become closer and decreases as the values ​​become more different. In step S104, the processing unit 130 may determine whether the association data includes data whose similarity with the feature amounts of the input image data is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

[0046] At this time, the processing unit 130 may search for data whose similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold for each of a first user who uses the image processing device 100 and a second user who is another user. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the first user here is user A. Therefore, in step S104, the processing unit 130 searches for data whose similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold from the data associated with user A (lines 1-3) among the association data. If data with high similarity is found, the processing unit 130 acquires the image quality adjustment information included in the data as first image quality adjustment information corresponding to the first user. Furthermore, in step S104, the processing unit 130 searches for data whose similarity is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold from the data associated with users other than user A (lines 4 and onward) among the association data. If data with high similarity is found, the processing unit 130 acquires the image quality adjustment information included in the data as second image quality adjustment information corresponding to the second user.

[0047] Here, the second user may be any user other than the first user. For example, in step S104, the processing unit 130 may search for data with similar features among all users except the first user. In this way, the probability that the second image quality adjustment information exists increases, making it easier to present the second image quality adjustment information.

[0048] Alternatively, the second user may be selected from a subset of users associated with the first user. For example, in step S104, the processing unit 130 may search for data with similar features among users other than the first user who are in the same department or field of work as the first user. In this way, the second user becomes a user associated with the first user, thereby increasing the likelihood that useful information can be presented to the first user as the second image quality adjustment information. Alternatively, the second user may be a user who shares the same nationality or residential area as the first user. Since preferred image quality may differ depending on nationality or residential area, selecting the second user taking nationality, etc. into consideration allows for the selection of image quality adjustment information that is less likely to appear unnatural to the first user as the second image quality adjustment information. In addition, various modifications of the scope of second users are possible.

[0049] The second user may also be a group of multiple users (hereinafter also referred to as a composite user). The multiple users here may be, for example, a group of all users including the first user. For example, the processing unit 130 may perform a process of determining whether or not there are multiple data sets with similar features in the association data shown in FIG. 5. If multiple data sets with similar features exist, the processing unit 130 may calculate an average value, etc., of the image quality adjustment information associated with each of the multiple data sets. For example, assume that user A, user B, and user C each have data sets with similar features, and the corresponding density setting values ​​are +1, 0, and -1. In this case, the processing unit 130 sets the density setting value to 0, which is the average of +1, 0, and -1. The same applies to the saturation setting and sharpness setting. Regarding the document type, for example, the processing unit 130 calculates the average values ​​by setting text mode to +1, text / photo mode to 0, and photo mode to -1, and sets the mode closest to the average value as the document type setting value. Alternatively, the processing unit 130 may determine the document type setting value by majority vote or the like. The average value here is not limited to a simple average, and a weighted average using cumulative frequencies may also be used. Although the above description has been given of an example in which the processing unit 130 of the image processing device 100 executes the process of obtaining the association data for multiple users from the association data for individual users (FIG. 5), the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the process of obtaining the association data for multiple users may be executed in a server system provided by an MFP manufacturer.

[0050] For example, the correspondence information in this embodiment may include data of a composite user obtained in this manner. In the above example, the correspondence data includes data in which the user information is a "composite user," the feature quantities are the similar feature quantities, and the image quality adjustment information is the average value.

[0051] Figure 6 is an example of composite user association data. Note that since all the data included in Figure 6 is data related to composite users, user information is omitted. However, user information items may be added to the data in Figure 6, and composite users may be assigned as values ​​to each of the items.

[0052] In the example of Figure 6, for example, the association data includes multiple pieces of data similar to the feature amounts in the first row (number of black edge pixels 151 to 200, number of color edge pixels 0 to 50, ...), and the average values ​​of the image quality adjustment information for the multiple pieces of data are obtained as follows: density setting +3, saturation setting +0, sharpness setting -4, and document type "text / photo mode." Similarly, for the data in the second row and beyond, the association data for multiple users is data in which feature amounts are associated with image quality adjustment information obtained as statistics.

[0053] In step S104, the processing unit 130 may search for data with similar features among the multiple user association data shown in FIG. 6. If highly similar data exists in the multiple user association data, the processing unit 130 acquires the image quality adjustment information included in the data as second image quality adjustment information corresponding to the second user. Therefore, the second image quality adjustment information may include setting items and statistics calculated from setting values ​​associated with each of multiple users for the setting items. In this way, it is possible to use highly versatile image quality adjustment information required by multiple users as the second image quality adjustment information.

[0054] The association data for a composite user is not limited to information obtained by targeting the association data of all users, but may be information obtained by targeting the association data of some of all users. For example, the processing unit 130 may perform a process for obtaining association data for "all employees," a first composite user, by processing the association data of all users in the company, and a process for obtaining association data for "sales staff," a second composite user, by processing the association data of users belonging to the sales department. In this way, in this embodiment, multiple composite users may be set. In step S104, the processing unit 130 may process all or some of the multiple composite users.

[0055] The cumulative frequency in FIG. 6 is, for example, the sum of the cumulative frequencies included in the original association data of each user.

[0056] If data similar to the features of the input image data is found in the correspondence data by the processing described above (step S104: Yes), in step S105, the display processing unit 140 performs processing to display the first image quality adjustment information of the first user and the second image quality adjustment information of the second user on the display unit 150.

[0057] Fig. 7 is an example of an image quality adjustment screen displayed on display unit 150 in step S105. As shown in Fig. 7, the image quality adjustment screen includes setting items for density setting, saturation setting, sharpness setting, and document type, and an area R1 that displays setting values ​​corresponding to each setting item. In the example of Fig. 7, a pull-down menu is displayed in area R1, and the first user can use the pull-down menu to adjust the setting value of each setting item.

[0058] The image quality adjustment screen also includes an area R2 for displaying first image quality adjustment information and an area R3 for displaying second image quality adjustment information. The first image quality adjustment information is, for example, association data relating to user A. The second image quality adjustment information is, for example, association data relating to multiple users.

[0059] In this way, when presenting image quality adjustment information suited to the features of input image data, it is possible to present second image quality adjustment information that reflects the preferences of other users in addition to first image quality adjustment information that reflects the preferences of the user, which makes it possible to encourage the first user to adjust image quality using new parameters that they had not previously been aware of, thereby supporting efficient image quality adjustment.

[0060] For example, areas R2 and R3 may each include an apply button that applies the corresponding image quality adjustment information. When the user selects the apply button, the setting values ​​of each setting item displayed in area R1 are updated to the content of the corresponding image quality adjustment information. For example, when the apply button in area R2 is selected, the item values ​​displayed in area R1 are changed so that the density setting becomes +1, the saturation setting becomes -1, the sharpness setting becomes +2, and the document type becomes "text mode."

[0061] The image quality adjustment screen may also include an area R4 that displays a preview image showing the results of image quality adjustment performed on the input image data using the setting values ​​selected in area R1. This allows the user to check the results of image quality adjustment using the current setting values ​​as an image before actually performing the image quality adjustment.

[0062] Here, the display processing unit 140 may display a second preview image in which image quality adjustment processing based on the second image quality adjustment information has been performed on the input image data until the first user performs an input operation of parameters (image quality adjustment information). In the example of FIG. 7, the second preview image, which is the adjustment result based on the image quality adjustment information displayed in the area R3 (density setting: 0, saturation setting: -1, sharpness setting: +1, document type: "photo mode"), is displayed by default in the area R4. This makes it possible to proactively present the results of image quality adjustment processing using the second image quality adjustment information. As a result, the first user can easily recognize the adjustment results performed by other users, thereby preventing their own preferences from becoming fixed. However, the first preview image in which image quality adjustment processing based on the first image quality adjustment information has been performed on the input image data may be displayed by default, and various modifications of the specific processing are possible.

[0063] The image quality adjustment screen may also include an area R5 that displays a button for instructing the execution of image quality adjustment using the current settings. Here, we consider an example in which image processing device 100 is an MFP that performs a copy function. That is, the input image data is image data read using the scan function, and the image quality adjustment process is a process for executing a print job. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, an area R5 displays a button for instructing the start of copying.

[0064] When the copy start button is selected, in step S106, the processing unit 130 performs image quality adjustment processing on the input image data based on the selected setting values, and performs processing to output the adjusted image data that is the result of this processing. For example, the processing unit 130 controls a printing unit (not shown in FIG. 2) to perform processing to print the adjusted image data on paper. However, the output processing here is not limited to printing, and may be display on a display or transmission to another device via a communication unit.

[0065] Note that if no data with features similar to those of the input image data is found in the association data in the processing of step S104 (step S104: No), the processing of step S105 is skipped. For example, the processing unit 130 may display a screen from which the first image quality adjustment information and second image quality adjustment information are omitted (a screen from which areas R2 and R3 are omitted) on the image quality adjustment screen of Fig. 7 and accept user input. In this case, areas R1, R4, and R5 are displayed, and the user performs an operation to determine the setting values ​​for each setting item using the pull-down menu without referring to the recommended settings.

[0066] This completes the output of the image quality adjustment information and adjusted image data. When image quality adjustment processing is performed on input image data, the processing unit 130 may update the image quality adjustment information in the association data based on the image quality adjustment information selected by the first user. The association data to be updated here may be data associated with user information representing the first user (e.g., lines 1-3 in FIG. 5) or may be association data for multiple users (FIG. 6). This allows the preferences of the first user to be reflected in the association data. Therefore, as the first user continues to use the image processing device 100, the information presented on the image quality adjustment screen can be made to better match the preferences of the first user. A detailed flow will be described below using steps S107-S110 in FIG. 3.

[0067] In step S107, processing unit 130 requests input from the user as to whether or not the image quality of the output adjusted image data is satisfactory. Fig. 8 shows an example of a confirmation screen that display processing unit 140 causes display unit 150 to display in step S107. The confirmation screen includes text such as "Were there any image quality problems with the output results?" that requests confirmation of image quality, and "Yes" and "No" buttons.

[0068] As described above, in the example of making a copy using an MFP, the output process in step S106 is a print process using a printing unit, so the user can check the output result near image processing device 100. Therefore, it is considered that the user will naturally look at display unit 150 of image processing device 100 when checking the output result, and it becomes possible to appropriately prompt the user to make an input on the confirmation screen.

[0069] However, if the output of the adjusted image data is to be sent to another device, it is expected that the first user will check the adjusted image data on the other device. In this case, the image processing device 100 may perform a process of sending data prompting the other device to check the image data. For example, if the image processing device 100 stores the email address of the other device, the image processing device 100 may send an email to the other device containing content prompting the other device to reply with the check results. In this way, the first user's check of the adjusted image data can be realized in various ways.

[0070] If the first user is not satisfied with the image quality, i.e., if the "No" button is selected on the confirmation screen (step S107: No), it is considered that the setting values ​​used in the image quality adjustment process do not reflect the first user's preferences. Therefore, since there is little need to reflect the setting values ​​in the association data, the processes of steps S108-S110 are omitted and the process ends.

[0071] If the first user is satisfied with the image quality, that is, if the "Yes" button is selected on the confirmation screen (step S107: Yes), it is determined in step S108 whether user authentication has been completed. If user authentication has been performed in step S101 (step S108: Yes), in step S109, the processing unit 130 performs processing to update the association data corresponding to the first user.

[0072] For example, assume that the input image data shown in FIG. 4 is acquired, and the data in the first row of FIG. 5 is selected. In this case, the setting values ​​for the density setting of +1, the saturation setting of -1, the sharpness setting of +2, and the document type of "text mode" are displayed as the first image quality adjustment information. In response to this, consider an example in which the first user changes the density setting to +2 and uses the first image quality adjustment information as is for the other setting items. In this case, the first user selects an adjustment that is darker than the setting value in the association data and is satisfied with the image quality. Therefore, by increasing the setting value of the density setting in the association data, it is possible to reflect the first user's preferences in the association data.

[0073] 5 to the latest setting values ​​(density setting +2, saturation setting -1, sharpness setting +2, document type "text mode"). Alternatively, processing unit 130 may set +1.5, which is the simple average of the latest setting value and the past setting value included in the association data, as the setting value of the updated density setting. However, the process of updating the association data is not limited to this.

[0074] For example, the association data may include a feature amount and count information indicating the number of times that image quality adjustment processing has been performed on image data corresponding to the feature amount, as described above with reference to Fig. 5. The count information here corresponds to the cumulative frequency in Fig. 5. When image quality adjustment processing has been performed on input image data, the processing unit 130 updates the image quality adjustment information in the association data by calculating a weighted average of the image quality adjustment information selected by the first user and the image quality adjustment information included in the association data based on the count information.

[0075] FIG. 9 illustrates the data in the first row of FIG. 5 after the update process. As described above with reference to FIG. 5, the cumulative frequency of the data in the first row is 3. Therefore, the original density setting value of +1 represents the result of three image quality adjustment processes. In contrast, the density setting value of +2 represents the setting value used only once, most recently. Therefore, the processing unit 130 may assign a weight of 3 to the density setting and a weight of 1 to the density setting. In this case, the weighted average is {(+1) × 3 + (+2) × 1} / 4 = 1.25. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, the processing unit 130 updates the density setting value to +1.25 and the cumulative frequency to 4. Note that, for the other setting items, there is no difference between the image quality adjustment information selected by the first user and the image quality adjustment information included in the association data, so the values ​​do not change even after the update. This enables the update process to take into account the number of times the image quality adjustment process has been performed. This prevents the latest adjustment results from having an excessive impact on the association data.

[0076] The density setting value may be numerical data that changes in increments of 1 within the range of -5 to +5, as described above. In other words, the density setting value may take only integer values ​​in the image quality adjustment process. However, if the value is rounded to an integer at the association data stage, changes in user preferences within the decimal point range as described above will no longer be reflected. Therefore, in this embodiment, the image quality adjustment information in the association data can be adjusted in relatively fine increments, and conversion to integer values ​​(rounding up, rounding down, rounding up, etc.) may be performed at the stage of displaying the image quality adjustment screen.

[0077] After the process of step S109, or if user authentication has not been performed (step S108: No), in step S110, processing unit 130 performs a process of updating the association data of the composite user corresponding to the second user. Note that here, an example is described in which the composite user includes the first user. For example, when the association data of the composite user is obtained from the association data of all users including the first user, the composite user includes the first user. In this way, it is possible to reflect the preferences of the first user in the association data of the composite user.

[0078] Specifically, the processing unit 130 updates the image quality adjustment information in the association data by calculating a weighted average of the image quality adjustment information selected by the first user and the image quality adjustment information selected as the second image quality adjustment information based on the frequency information. The specific processing is the same as in step S109, so a detailed description will be omitted.

[0079] If the first user is not included in the composite users, the process of step S110 may be omitted. For example, if the first user belongs to the accounting department and the composite user is a "salesperson," there is little need to reflect the preferences of the first user in the association data of the salesperson. Therefore, the process of updating the association data of the composite user is omitted.

[0080] However, if the association between the composite user (second user) and the first user is very low, it is possible that the second image quality adjustment information, even if presented, will be unlikely to be adopted by the first user. Therefore, when a composite user is used as the second user, the composite user may be selected to always include the first user. Note that "composite users include the first user" here means that when obtaining association data for the composite user, association data for multiple users including the first user is processed.

[0081] 3. Variations Some modified examples will be described below.

[0082] 3.1 Other examples of image processing devices Although the image processing device 100 is an MFP in the above example, the image processing device 100 in this embodiment is not limited to this. For example, in a case where an MFP, an information processing device (such as a PC or tablet terminal used by a user), and a server system (such as a print server or a server of an MFP manufacturer) are connected, the image processing device 100 in this embodiment may be an information processing device or a server system.

[0083] For example, when the MFP performs the printing process as described above, the information processing device may execute the processes described above with reference to Fig. 3. For example, the image acquisition unit 110 of the information processing device may acquire image data scanned by the MFP via a network as input image data.

[0084] Alternatively, the image acquisition unit 110 may acquire image data created by a user using some application (CAD software, paint software, presentation creation software, etc.) running on an information processing device, or may acquire image data received via a network by an application such as a browser.

[0085] 7 may be displayed on display unit 150 of the information processing device. When a button (e.g., a start copy button) that instructs printing of the adjusted image data is selected on the image quality adjustment screen, the information processing device creates adjusted image data and performs processing to instruct the MFP to print the adjusted image data.

[0086] The same applies when a server system is used as the image processing device 100.

[0087] Furthermore, the image quality adjustment in this embodiment is not limited to adjustment for printing processing. For example, the image processing device 100 may perform image quality adjustment processing for the purpose of displaying on a display, displaying on a projector, etc. In this case, the image processing device 100 is not limited to a device connected to an MFP, and various devices such as PCs, server systems, tablet terminals, and wearable devices can be used. Furthermore, the setting items included in the image quality adjustment information are not limited to items intended for printing, and various items can be used.

[0088] 3.2 Warning display When the first image quality adjustment information includes first information that is similar to the second image quality adjustment information and second information that is dissimilar to the second image quality adjustment information, and the second image quality adjustment information includes third information that is similar to the first image quality adjustment information and fourth information that is dissimilar to the first image quality adjustment information, the display processing unit 140 may perform processing to highlight at least one of the second information and the fourth information compared to the first information and the third information. In this way, the dissimilar information can be highlighted, making it possible to clearly present the differences between the first image quality adjustment information and the second image quality adjustment information to the user.

[0089] For example, if the first user adopts the second image quality adjustment information, the image quality of the adjusted image data may be significantly different from the image quality that the first user normally prefers due to setting items whose setting values ​​are not similar to those of the first image quality adjustment information. In this regard, by emphasizing the differences between the image quality adjustment information in advance, it is possible to make the user aware of setting items and setting values ​​that may significantly change the image quality.

[0090] Fig. 10 is another example of an image quality adjustment screen. Areas R1 to R5 are the same as those in Fig. 7. Area R1 includes setting items and a pull-down menu for selecting setting values. Area R2 includes first image quality adjustment information. Area R3 includes second image quality adjustment information. Area R4 includes a preview image. Area R5 includes a copy start button.

[0091] Here, the saturation setting value of the first image quality adjustment information is +3, while the saturation setting value of the second image quality adjustment information is -1, resulting in a large degree of difference. Therefore, the processing unit 130 determines that the "saturation setting: +3" of the first image quality adjustment information is second information, and the "saturation setting: -1" of the second image quality adjustment information is fourth information. On the other hand, for other setting items, the degree of difference is small even when the setting values ​​are the same or different. Therefore, the processing unit 130 determines that these pieces of information are first information or third information, which are similar between the first image quality adjustment information and the second image quality adjustment information.

[0092] In this case, for example, the display processing unit 140 may display an object OB1 representing a warning in association with "Saturation setting: +3" in region R2. The display processing unit 140 may also display an object OB2 representing a warning in association with "Saturation setting: -1" in region R3. Instead of displaying both objects OB1 and OB2, only one of them may be displayed. While the example described here shows the objects OB1 and OB2 representing a warning in order to emphasize at least one of the second information and the fourth information, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the display processing unit 140 may perform processing to change the color, font size, font type, background color, etc. of the text corresponding to the second information or the fourth information.

[0093] In this way, when the first image quality adjustment information has a first setting value associated with a first setting item, and the second image quality adjustment information includes a second setting value associated with the first setting item and whose degree of difference from the first setting value is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the display processing unit 140 may perform processing to highlight the first setting item in at least one of the first image quality adjustment information and the second image quality adjustment information compared to other setting items. When the setting items are the same but the setting values ​​are different, the adjusted image data when the first image quality adjustment information is adopted and the adjusted image data when the second image quality adjustment information is adopted will differ significantly due to the setting item. Therefore, by highlighting such setting items, it is possible to clearly indicate to the first user the setting items that require attention.

[0094] However, dissimilar information between the first and second image quality adjustment information is not limited to items with large differences in setting values. For example, if the first image quality adjustment information does not include a given setting item and the second image quality adjustment information includes the given setting item, the display processor 140 may highlight the given setting item. Here, "not including a given setting item" in the first image quality adjustment information may mean that the setting value of the given setting item is set to 0 (no adjustment processing is performed). For example, if the first image quality adjustment information does not include a density setting, the first user may not like adjusting the density. Therefore, even if the density setting value in the second image quality adjustment information is close to 0, such as +1 or -1, performing adjustment processing based on the density setting may cause the first user to feel uncomfortable. In this case, the display processor 140 may highlight the density setting in region R3 displaying the second image quality adjustment information. For example, in FIG. 10 , the first image quality adjustment information does not include a density setting (see region R2), but the second image quality adjustment information includes a density setting (see region R3). Therefore, the display processing unit 140 may display an object representing a warning in region R3, although this is not shown in Fig. 10. Furthermore, when the second image quality adjustment information does not include a given setting item and the first image quality adjustment information includes the given setting item, the display processing unit 140 may highlight the given setting item in the first image quality adjustment information.

[0095] 3.3 Preview display 7 and 10 illustrate an example in which one preview image is displayed in area R4 of the image quality adjustment screen. Area R4 may display, as a default image, either a first preview image that has undergone image processing based on the first image quality adjustment information or a second preview image that has undergone image quality adjustment based on the second image quality adjustment information. When the first user updates the setting values ​​displayed in area R1, the preview image may be updated to reflect the results of image processing based on those setting values.

[0096] However, the method of this embodiment is not limited to this. For example, display processing unit 140 may display the first preview image and the second preview image in a manner that allows them to be compared.

[0097] Fig. 11 shows an example of a settings screen that displays a first preview image and a second preview image side by side. Regions R1 to R3 and R5 in Fig. 11 are the same as those in Fig. 7, so detailed description will be omitted. Region R41 in Fig. 11 includes the first preview image, and region R42 includes the second preview image.

[0098] In this way, it is possible to present the difference between the first preview image and the second preview image to the user using a specific image. Therefore, even when adopting second image quality adjustment information that may differ from the first user's preferences, it is possible to allow the user to properly understand how the processing results differ from when the first image quality adjustment information is used. In the example of Fig. 11, a light, blurred image is displayed as the first preview image, while a dark, sharp image is displayed as the second preview image.

[0099] In addition, when display processing unit 140 receives an operation input representing enlarging, reducing, or changing the display range of one of the first preview image and the second preview image, it may perform display processing that reflects the operation input on both the first preview image and the second preview image.

[0100] FIG. 12A shows an example of images displayed in regions R41 and R42 when an operation to enlarge the upper left portion of the first preview image is performed. In this case, the upper left portion of the first preview image is enlarged and displayed in region R41 based on the enlargement operation. At this time, a similar display process is performed on the second preview image, which has not received the enlargement operation. Specifically, in region R42, the upper left portion of the second preview image is enlarged and displayed based on the enlargement operation. In this way, the display modes of the first and second preview images are unified, making it possible to clearly present the differences between the preview images to the user. Note that a display process similar to that shown in FIG. 12A is also performed when an operation to enlarge the upper left portion of the second preview image is performed.

[0101] 12B shows an example of images displayed in regions R41 and R42 when an operation to change the image display range of the first preview image to the center is performed while the image shown in FIG. 12A is displayed. In this case, the center portion of the first preview image is enlarged and displayed in region R41 based on the range change operation. At this time, the same display process is also performed on the second preview image, whose display range has not been changed. When an operation to change the image display range of the second preview image to the center is performed, the same display process as in FIG. 12B is also performed.

[0102] Although the present embodiment has been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily understand that many modifications are possible without substantially departing from the novel features and advantages of the present embodiment. Therefore, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, a term described at least once in the specification or drawings together with a different term having a broader or equivalent meaning may be replaced with that different term anywhere in the specification or drawings. Furthermore, all combinations of the present embodiment and modifications are also included within the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the configurations and operations of the image processing device, information processing device, server system, etc. are not limited to those described in the present embodiment, and various modifications are possible. [Explanation of symbols]

[0103] 100: Image processing device, 110: Image acquisition unit, 120: Data acquisition unit, 130: Processing unit, 140: Display processing unit, 150: Display unit, 200: Storage unit, OB1, OB2: Objects, R1-R5, R41, R42: Areas

Claims

1. a data acquisition unit that acquires association data that associates image quality adjustment information including features of image data, parameters used in image quality adjustment processing, and user information; an image acquisition unit that acquires input image data; a processing unit that performs processing to obtain the feature amount from the input image data, and acquire the image quality adjustment information and the user information corresponding to the input image data based on the obtained feature amount and the association data; a display processing unit that displays, on a display unit in a distinguishable manner, first image quality adjustment information, which is the image quality adjustment information associated with the user information representing a first user input when the input image data is acquired, and second image quality adjustment information, which is the image quality adjustment information associated with the user information representing a second user different from the first user; An image processing device comprising:

2. In claim 1, The image processing apparatus, wherein the image quality adjustment information includes setting items and setting values ​​associated with the setting items.

3. In claim 2, the second user is a set of multiple users; The image processing apparatus, wherein the second image quality adjustment information includes the setting items and statistics calculated from the setting values ​​associated with each of the plurality of users for the setting items.

4. In any one of claims 1 to 3, The display processing unit the first image quality adjustment information includes first information similar to the second image quality adjustment information and second information dissimilar to the second image quality adjustment information, When the second image quality adjustment information includes third information similar to the first image quality adjustment information and fourth information dissimilar to the first image quality adjustment information, an image processing device that performs processing to display at least one of the second information and the fourth information in a more emphasized manner than the first information and the third information;

5. In claim 2 or 3, The display processing unit An image processing device that, when the first image quality adjustment information has a first setting value associated with a first setting item and the second image quality adjustment information includes a second setting value associated with the first setting item and whose degree of difference from the first setting value is greater than a predetermined threshold, performs processing to display the first setting item in at least one of the first image quality adjustment information and the second image quality adjustment information in a more emphasized manner than other setting items.

6. In any one of claims 1 to 3, The display processing unit an image processing device that displays a second preview image obtained by performing image quality adjustment processing on the input image data based on the second image quality adjustment information until the first user performs an input operation of the parameter;

7. In any one of claims 1 to 3, The processing unit an image processing device that, when the image quality adjustment process is performed on the input image data, performs a process of updating the image quality adjustment information of the association data based on the image quality adjustment information selected by the first user;

8. In claim 7, the association data includes the feature amount and count information indicating the number of times the image quality adjustment process has been performed on the image data corresponding to the feature amount; The processing unit An image processing device that, when the image quality adjustment processing is performed on the input image data, updates the image quality adjustment information of the correspondence data by taking a weighted average of the image quality adjustment information selected by the first user and the image quality adjustment information included in the correspondence data based on the number of times information.

9. In any one of claims 1 to 3, The display processing unit An image processing device that displays, in a comparable manner, a first preview image obtained by performing image quality adjustment processing on the input image data based on the first image quality adjustment information, and a second preview image obtained by performing image quality adjustment processing on the input image data based on the second image quality adjustment information.

10. In claim 9, The display processing unit an image processing device that, when receiving an operation input representing enlarging, reducing, or changing the display range of one of the first preview image and the second preview image, performs display processing to reflect the operation input on both the first preview image and the second preview image.

11. a data acquisition unit that acquires association data that associates image quality adjustment information including features of image data, parameters used in image quality adjustment processing, and user information; an image acquisition unit that acquires input image data; a processing unit that performs processing to obtain the feature amount from the input image data, and acquire the image quality adjustment information and the user information corresponding to the input image data based on the obtained feature amount and the association data; a display processing unit that displays, on a display unit in a distinguishable manner, first image quality adjustment information, which is the image quality adjustment information associated with the user information representing a first user input when the input image data is acquired, and second image quality adjustment information, which is the image quality adjustment information associated with the user information representing a second user different from the first user; The programs that make a computer function.

12. Acquires association data that associates the feature amounts of the image data, image quality adjustment information including parameters used in the image quality adjustment process, and user information; Obtain input image data; determining the feature amount from the input image data, and performing a process of acquiring the image quality adjustment information and the user information corresponding to the input image data based on the determined feature amount and the association data; displaying, on a display unit in a distinguishable manner, first image quality adjustment information, which is the image quality adjustment information associated with the user information representing a first user input when the input image data was acquired, and second image quality adjustment information, which is the image quality adjustment information associated with the user information representing a second user different from the first user; Image processing methods.

Images